Project Id: 2010ND211B
Title: The Impact of Rural and Urban Flooding on Water and Soil Quality in the Red River Valley of the North
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 1/01/2010
End Date: 1/01/2011
Congressional District: 01
Focus Categories: Water Quality, Floods, Hydrology
Keywords: Water quality, Soil quality, Flood impact, Sediment Quality, River banks
Principal Investigator: DeSutter, Tom
Federal Funds: $ 3,000
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 6,000
Abstract: The research proposed here is a part of an ongoing study. The proposed research will investigate the concentrations of diesel hydrocarbons, gasoline hydrocarbons, 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), total Hg, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, pH, electrical conductivity, sulfate, chloride, and total suspended (in water) and deposited (on land) sediment in Fargo-Moorhead reach of the Red River (RR) of the North before, during, and after a flood event. Since the RR valley is predominantly agricultural based, there is a high application of fertilizers on the land. Our interest was to quantify the concentration of the chemicals, hormones, and nutrients in the water and the sediment that is left on the banks of the RR. The objectives are: (1) determine if major flooding through an urban environment impacts water quality and (2) determine how major flooding impacts the quality of sediment deposited on the riverbanks after the flood waters recede.